Jakarta

The first recorded settlement at what is now Jakarta was the port of Kalapa, near the mouth of the Ciliwung River. Its origin can be traced to a Hindu settlement as early as the 5th century. By the 12th century, it was a major port for the Hindu kingdom of Sunda. The Portuguese were reported to be the first Europeans to visit the port of Kalapa. A Hindu king granted Portuguese traders permission to build a fort at Kalapa in the early 16th century. Jakarta's port is still called Sunda Kelapa today, after this early settlement.

In 1527, the city was conquered by Fatahillah (or Faletehan), a young leader from a nearby kingdom from the north. Fatahillah changed the name Kalapa into Jayakarta (meaning "victorious and prosperous" in Javanese) on 22 June, 1527. This particular date is regarded as the official birth date of Jakarta. The Dutch came to Jayakarta at the end of the 16th century. In 1619 the forces of the Dutch East India Company, led by Jan Pieterszoon Coen, conquered the city and renamed Jayakarta to Batavia, the Latin name for a tribe that lived in the Netherlands during Roman times. Batavia was the capital of the colonial Dutch East Indies. In the early 19th century, the city was expanded as the Dutch began moving to the south, to higher-elevation areas thought to be healthier. The British captured Java in 1811 and occupied the island for five years while the Netherlands were occupied with the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, before returning it to Dutch control.

With formal, direct rule by the Netherlands expanding to more parts of the archipelago during the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the importance of the colonial Batavia (Jakarta) increased. Dutch tactics to maintain control and tax revenue at times required nearly all exports from anywhere in the region to be shipped through the city, establishing for the city an overwhelming political and economic dominance that it retains today.

Japan took possession of the city in 1942 during World War II and renamed it Jakarta, to gain local favor. Following Japan's defeat in 1945, the Dutch reoccupied the city despite the declaration of independence by the Indonesians on August 17, 1945. Jakarta was the center of the Dutch effort to retain control over their former colony during the war of independence that ended with the establishment of Indonesia in 1949.

Unlike other cities in Indonesia, Jakarta has a special provincial status. The city is headed by a governor instead of a mayor. Jakarta is divided into five districts called kota (formerly kotamadya), each headed by a mayor (walikota).

• Central Jakarta
• East Jakarta
• North Jakarta
• South Jakarta
• West Jakarta

The Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) to the north of Jakarta is also part of Jakarta. It has the status of a regency.

Being the capital of Indonesia and the center of governance, politics, and economy, Jakarta attracts many foreign as well as domestic immigrants. As a result, Jakarta has a decidedly cosmopolitan flavor and a diverse culture. Many of the immigrants are from the other parts of Java, bringing along a mixture of dialects of Javanese and Sundanese language, and their traditional foods and customs. The Betawi (Orang Betawi, or "people of Batavia") is a term used to describe the descendants of the people living around Batavia from around the 17th century. Orang Betawi are mostly descended from various Southeast Asian ethnic groups brought to or attracted to Batavia to meet labour needs, including people from various parts of Indonesia. They have a culture and language distinct from the Sundanese and Javanese.

Jakarta also has a large Chinese community which has been here for centuries. It is estimated that about ten percent of the population is of Chinese descent.

Jakarta has several performance centers, such as the Senayan center. Traditional music is often found at high-class hotels, including wayang and gamelan performances. As the largest city Jakarta has attracted many regional talents to relocate in hopes of finding a better audience and more opportunities for their arts and crafts.

The concentration of wealth and political influence in the city means that it has much more noticeable foreign influence on its landscape and culture; many major international fast-food chains have locations in the city, for example.

There are railways throughout Jakarta; however, they are inadequate in providing transportation for the citizens of Jakarta. In peak hours, the number of passengers simply overloads the capacity provided. The railroad tracks connect Jakarta to its neighboring cities: Depok and Bogor to the south, Tangerang and Serpong to the west, and Bekasi, Karawang, and Cikampek to the east. The major rail stations are Gambir, Jatinegara, Manggarai, and Jakarta Kota.

Buses and transport cars (local language: angkutan kota/angkot) are also popular. Like trains, they also become overloaded during peak hours. In 2003, the government formed a busway system named TransJakarta; it serves a route running from Jakarta Kota to Blok M. The busway takes less than half an hour to traverse a route which would normally take more than an hour during peak hours. The second phase of the busway will be constructed in 2005, serving the route from Pulogadung to Kalideres.

Despite the presence of many large, wide boulevards, Jakarta suffers from congestion due to heavy traffic, especially in the central business district. To reduce traffic jams, some major roads in Jakarta have a three in one rule during rush hours, prohibiting vehicles carrying less than three passengers on certain roads. In 2005, this rule covers the areas of Sudirman and Gatot Subroto.

Jakarta's road is notorious for behaviour of the traffic; the rules of the road are broken with impunity as a simple bribe of a few US dollars will simply make all ones legal problems disappear. Furthermore in recent years the number of motorcycles on the streets has being growing almost exponentially, ensuring many a problem due to ill-disciplined motorcyclists.

Jakarta's transportation also depends on tollroads. The major tollroad is the inner ring road from Tanjung Priok-Cawang-Grogol-Tanjung Priok. The outer ring road is now being constructed and is partly operational from Cilincing-Cakung-Pasar Rebo-Pondok Pinang-Daan Mogot-Cengkareng. A tollroad connects Jakarta to the Soekarno-Hatta International airport in the north of Jakarta. Also connected via tollroad is the port of Merak and Tangerang to the west, Serpong to the southwest, Depok and Bogor to the south, and Bekasi, Cibitung and Karawang, Purwakarta and eventually to Bandung to the east.

Two lines of the Jakarta Monorail are under construction: the green line serving Semanggi-Casablanca-Kuningan-Semanggi and the blue line serving Kampung Melayu-Casablanca-Tanah Abang-Roxy. In addition, there are plans for a two-line subway (MRT) system, with a north-south line between Kota and Fatmawati, with connections to both monorail lines; and an east-west line, which willl connect with the north-south line at the Sawah Besar station.

The government is also considering waterbus ferries as a cheaper means of transportation along the canals in Jakarta.

The primary airport for Jakarta is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which has daily flights from major airlines.

Jakarta is the home of many universities, the oldest of which is the Universitas Indonesia, of which big part of it is now relocated to Depok. The University of Indonesia has a long history of student activism, and many politicians and political activists are graduates from the university. The school color is yellow, giving rise to the nickname yellowjackets. Often during political meetings campus attendance is limited only to current students and alums. The Jakarta International School provides education from primary school up to high school levels for Jakarta's large international community.

As the largest city and the capital, Jakarta houses a large number of students from various parts of Indonesia, many of whom reside in dormitories or in a home-stay residence. Similarly to other large cities in developing Asian countries, there is a large number of professional schools teaching everything from English as a second language, Mandarin, computer skills, accounting, etc.

• Monas
• Ragunan Zoo
• Taman Impian Jaya Ancol
• Taman Ismail Marzuki
• Taman Mini Indonesia Indah
• Thousand Islands

Being the home of many of the country's political and economic elites, Jakarta boasts far more shopping venues than elsewhere in Indonesia. While these malls are too expensive to be accessible to many Jakarta residents, they dominate the high-end retail industry. Recent development of satellite cities in the surrounding areas, usually built around their own mega malls, parks, entertainment centers, and in some instances schools, has significantly expanded what is considered to be the practical border of Jakarta.

Jakarta is the home of popular football team Persija Jakarta, which regularly plays its matches in the stadium of Lebak Bulus. The biggest stadium is Bung Karno Stadium. With a capacity of more than 100,000 seats, it is one of the biggest stadiums in the world.

The Senayan sports complex is comprised of several sport venues, which include: Gelora Bung Karno soccer stadium, Stadion Madya athletic stadium, Istora (Istana Olah Raga or Sports Palace in English) Senayan, a shooting range, a tennis court and a golf driving range. The Senayan complex was built to accomodate the Asian Games in the 1950s.

Like many big cities in developing countries, Jakarta suffers from major urbanization problems. The population has risen sharply from 2.7 million in 1960 to 8.3 million in 2000, counting only its legal residents. The rapid population growth has outgrown the government's ability to provide basic needs for its residents. As the biggest economy in Indonesia, Jakarta has attracted a large number of workers from its surrounding areas. The population during weekdays is almost double that of weeknights or weekends, due to the influx of workers residing in the surrounding areas. Because of government's inability to provide adequate transportation for its large population, Jakarta also suffers from severe traffic jams that occur almost every workday.

During the wet season, Jakarta suffers from flooding due to clogged sewage pipes and waterways. Rainforest depletion due to rapid urbanization on the highland areas south of Jakarta near Bogor and Depok has also contributed to the floods.

• Jakarta Riots of May 1998
• List of radio stations in Jakarta

• Official website
• Template:Wikitravel
• Jakarta Online at indo.com
• Jakarta Stock Exchange
• Travelling to Jakarta
• Living in Jakarta for expatriates
• Satellite picture by Google Maps
• Pictures from Jakarta

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